Research

Wind Turbine Noise to Power Ratio

The objective of the experiment was to figure out the best combination of the length of the blade, tip width of the blade, and the pitch of the blade which produces the greatest amount of power and the least amount of noise. This objective was accomplished by creating a circuit with the DC motor an ammeter and a voltmeter. A voltmeter was used to measure the voltage of the turbine, and an ammeter was used to measure the current of the circuit. The voltage and current were multiplied to find the power. A sound probe was used to measure the sound produced by the blades. The noise to power ratio was then calculated by dividing the sound by the power. A three factor Design of Experiment was used to analyze the data. From the experiment results showed that the 18 in blades produced a higher noise to power ratio then the 6 in blades. The blades with a tip width of 3 in produced a lower ratio then the 1 in widths, and the 20° pitch produced a greater ratio than the blades with a 0° tilt.